Darren Star created both Emily In Paris and Younger, two series about twentysomethings working in the media industry. While Emily moved to Paris to work in marketing and Liza lied about her age to get a book publishing job, the characters are both living in a pressure-filled world that makes them question themselves at every turn.
Both shows have large fanbases and a light-hearted tone, making them perfect for binge-watching. While Emily In Paris has a second season coming and Younger is currently wrapping up its final season, it’s fun to compare what each show has to say about being a twentysomething and all of the good and bad that comes with this stage of life.
Emily In Paris: Moving To A New Place And Taking A Risk
While Emily In Paris made some mistakes in its portrayal of Paris life, the show is ultimately about a young adult who moves to a new place and tries to find herself. She takes a huge risk and it could go horribly, or it could be one of the best experiences that she ever has.
When Emily meets Mindy, she learns her story and how she came to Paris, and the show once again proves that being a twentysomething means feeling free to move to new cities, meet new people, try new things, and not hold back. While Emily’s new co-workers don’t love her, she does deserve praise for being brave enough to move somewhere new.
Younger: Living At Home For A While
When Liza meets Kelsey and Lauren on Younger, she learns that they live at Lauren’s parents’ house. They’re glad to not have to pay the high rent in New York City and they also enjoy the comfort and luxury of living in such a nice place.
It’s definitely true that many twentysomethings live at home for a while. They could be finishing up college, enrolled in a graduate program, working and saving up some money, or any number of reasons. It’s nothing to be ashamed of and it’s very relatable.
Emily In Paris: Trying To Prove Yourself In The Workplace
Fans of Emily In Paris noticed that her office is full of characters with unfair French stereotypes. Emily doesn’t seem to really understand the company or be in the right place, and she definitely seems naive.
But despite these problems, Emily wants to prove herself and do well in her industry. This is the reason why she moved to Paris, after all. While not everything about this show is perfect, twentysomethings can relate to this aspect of it, as this is a decade when people typically decide what they want to do and how they’re going to make their dreams come true.
Younger: Dating Drama And Worry About The Future
Fans adore Liza and Josh’s love story and Younger proves that dating as a twentysomething is not an easy time. After her fiancé dies, Kelsey doesn’t find a serious partner again, but she has many dramatic experiences with authors she’s editing or people she meets at events.
While Liza’s situation is unique as she has been lying about her age, and she and Josh have to work through her dishonesty and the different life stages that they’re at, this relationship is still relevant to people living through this time in their lives. Liza doesn’t want any more children but she knows that Josh might, and their romance is always complicated.
Emily In Paris: Making Mistakes That Feel Life Changing
In the episode “An American Auction in Paris,” Emily got Pierre to donate a dress to an event. Unfortunately, this went sour fast when Emily wore the dress on stage and avant-garde artists, Grey Space, suddenly hit her with paint. She realized too late that this was part of their art activism and that she should never have gotten Pierre involved.
Emily In Paris proves that people in their 20s often make mistakes that can be worked out but feel like they’re going to ruin everything. It can be really hard to move past this embarrassment and feel calm.
Younger: Taking On More Responsibility At Work
Besides being fashionable and wearing incredible outfits, Liza’s good friend and co-worker Kelsey is the perfect example of a twentysomething who is rising through the ranks of her career.
As Kelsey is named publisher, she starts taking on more responsibility at work, and it absolutely crushes her. She starts experiencing stress like never before and as she becomes an editor again, she realizes that she’s much more comfortable hearing book pitches and working with authors on their stories. This is so relatable, as it often takes a while to find that sweet spot at work.
Emily In Paris: A Fine Balance Of Working Hard And Being A Free Spirit
After meeting Mindy, Emily learns that Mindy was humiliated on reality TV and moved to Paris afterward. Mindy hasn’t figured out what her life’s passion will be, unlike Emily, who knows that she wants to continue in the field of marketing.
While Emily does work hard at her job and she cares about being a success, she has fun in Paris, too, especially with her new friends Mindy and Camille. The show proves that being a twentysomething means finding a balance between having a great work ethic and wanting to be a free spirit who can have a life outside of work. This decade is typically seen as a time of less responsibility.
Younger: The Pressure Of Turning 30
In the final season of Younger, Lauren throws a 30th birthday party using a theme from a pitch that the editors at Empirical heard: “Little Women in space.”
This gets Kelsey thinking about her upcoming 30th birthday, and she worries about leaving her 20s behind. This is another way that Younger gets being a twentysomething right as that 30th birthday feels like a huge deal. Once people are in their 30s, they typically enjoy it much better since they’re more confident, settled into their careers and love lives, and more comfortable with who they are. But before celebrating that birthday, people start comparing themselves to their peers and wondering if they should have achieved the same things, whether with marriage or kids or both.
Emily In Paris: The Temptation Of Becoming Instagram Famous
Viewers are confused about why Emily’s Instagram became a hit right away when she didn’t do any of the things that actually make someone a social media star.
But besides this problem, the show does bring up a good point about twentysomething life: how tempting it is to become famous on Instagram. People love sharing photos and posting on IG stories, and since it seems like many people are able to make this their job, why not do the same thing? Emily enjoys sharing her time in Paris with her followers, although there are times when it would be much better to focus on living IRL.
Younger: Dealing With Concerns About Being “Too Young”
Younger does a good job of featuring different love stories and it’s also a show about the book publishing industry, including all the big changes that happen on a regular basis.
When Liza and Kelsey are giving their own imprint called Millennial, they’re met with a lot of criticism and concern. People say they’re too young to run an imprint and assume that the books they’re promoting are silly fluff, unlike the meaningful literary novels that Empirical puts out. While of course, it’s true that people in their 20s need to learn and get more experience, they can still have passion and enthusiasm for their work, so this is an interesting point that the show explores.
